The Bay Area's final bid to host Super Bowl L in ‘16 at the 49ers' new Santa Clara stadium “landed on the desk of the NFL's 32 owners” yesterday, according to a front-page piece by Mike Rosenberg of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The bid committee “promised tee times for golf at iconic Pebble Beach; a private dinner for NFL owners with local celebrity chef Thomas Keller of the renowned French Laundry; more than 25,000 hotel rooms already set aside; and the massive Moscone Center in San Francisco booked for the league's interactive theme park called NFL Experience.” Main Street for the Super Bowl “will be along the Embarcadero on San Francisco's waterfront with NFL-themed décor, street signs and lit-up buildings.” A pre-game tailgate and Media Day “will take place in and around the Santa Clara stadium.” The plan “proposes to add up to 5,000 temporary seats to the stadium, which will seat 68,500 when it opens" in the summer of '14. In addition, Google Exec Chair Eric Schmidt has “committed to leading what could be an unprecedented partnership among Silicon Valley megacompanies, dropping names like Apple and Yahoo, in proclaiming his mission to mark the game's 50th anniversary with new, undisclosed technology to create 'the most innovative Super Bowl ever.'" NFL owners will pick between Santa Clara and Miami for the Super Bowl hosting rights on May 21, but South Florida's bid “has stumbled in recent weeks after a failed stadium renovation attempt, making the Bay Area the clear front-runner.” Both regions had until yesterday to “submit their final proposals, which run in excess of 200 pages” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 5/9). 49ers CEO Jed York downplayed that the team was the favorite to land the game, saying, "It's going to be a tough vote because you've got a stadium in a community that's hosted 10 Super Bowls compared to a brand new stadium that hasn't, and I think there are pros and cons for each. It's going to be a tough battle and hopefully we come out on top" ("NFL AM," NFL Network, 5/9).
COUNTDOWN TO N.Y.: In Newark, Bill Wichert noted with about nine months before Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium, tourism and state officials yesterday "called on municipalities, businesses and other local entities to develop partnerships and capitalize on the economic opportunities provided by the game and its related activities.” Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Jim Kirkos said, “This is all about a giant collaboration. We have to put our arms around one another if we’re going to win any piece of the $500 million economic impact the NFL says will take place in our Super Bowl.” A Somerset County (N.J.) Business Partnership event yesterday “attracted local business representatives, transportation service providers, elected officials and others interested in learning how Somerset County can take advantage of the Super Bowl” (NJ.com, 5/8).
